Manfredi Lefebvre d’Ovidio, Co-Chairman of the A&K Travel Group, Cristina Levis, CEO of A&K Travel Group, and executives from Fincantieri welcomed the arrival of the recently acquired Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity to Trieste, Italy, where the ships are being refurbished.

In addition, the new owners behind the new Crystal Cruises made a number of announcements. 

Jack Anderson has been named as President of Crystal Cruises and Bernie Leypold as Senior Vice President of Hotel Operations. 

“Geoffrey Kent and Manfredi Lefebvre are icons and innovators in luxury travel,” Anderson said. “With their ownership, leadership and vision for these ships and the award-winning Crystal Cruises brand, we are embarking on a new and exciting chapter. We and the entire Crystal Cruises family look forward to welcoming guests again soon.”

“It is an honor to join the new Crystal Cruises with a commitment to not only recreate, but enhance the sophisticated luxury service, cuisine, entertainment, and shore experiences in collaboration with our sister company, Abercrombie & Kent,” Leypold added.

“We welcome the return of members of our loyal and well-trained Crystal crew to our family and they will be given priority in the hiring process.”

“There are extensive refurbishments planned for both Crystal Symphony and Crystal Serenity that will elevate the customer experience. Some staterooms will be combined, creating more butler suites and reducing overall guest capacity,” explained Levis. “This will bring a gracious new feeling of spaciousness to the restaurants and public areas.”

The CrystalCruises.com website will soon provide further updates on appointments, ship enhancements, new itineraries and employment opportunities, according to a statement.